The Tiruvelukkutrirukkai () is a

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

work of literature penned by Thirumangai Alvar, one of the twelve

Alvars The Alvars ( ta, ஆழ்வார், Āḻvār, translit-std=ISO, lit=The Immersed) were the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused ''bhakti'' (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and ...

Sri Vaishnavism Sri Vaishnavism, or the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, who ...

. Composed of a single hymn, it is part of the compendium of hymns called the

Naalayira Divya Prabandham The Naalayira Divya Prabandham ( ta, நாலாயிரத் திவ்வியப் பிரபந்தம், lit=Four Thousand Divine Hymns, translit=Nālāyira Divya Prabandham) is a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses composed by ...

Structure

Composed in a poetic style known as the ''ratha bandham'', the structure of this work consists of the inclusion of the

terms of the numbers one to seven throughout the hymn. These numbers are arranged in both an ascending and descending order of frequency within the verses of the work, such that they form both an upright and an inverted pyramid that resemble a Pascal's triangle; the resulting arrangement looks like a

ratha Ratha ( Proto-Indo-Iranian: ''*Hrátʰas'', Sanskrit: रथ, '; Avestan: ''raθa'') is also known as the Indo-Iranian term for a spoked-wheel chariot or a cart of antiquity. Harappan Civilisation The Indus Valley Civilization sites of Dai ...

, the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

term for a chariot.

Hymns

The verses of the Tiruvelukkutrirukkai are replete with numbers, describing and exalting the attributes of the preserver deity,

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

: {{Blockquote, text=O Beautiful four-armed three-cloud-hued lord, with your two feet alone in their one-pointed hearts, the moon-faced two ladies pressing your feet three times all day, as you lie in Yogic sleep; you became the fourfold race of mankind; even the five elements are but you; for the six-legged bee-humming coiffured dame Nappinnai, you fought the seven bulls and destroyed them; you are the six schools of orthodoxy, hard to comprehend. The lotus dame of five auspicious qualities resides on your chest. O Giver of the four-fold fruits, Tri-murti, O Pair of opposites, O Manifold one!, author=Tirumangai Alvar, title=Tiruvelukkutrirukkai

References

External links

Thiruvezhukkutrirukkai
Naalayira Divya Prabandham Vaishnava texts Tamil Hindu literature

Structure

Hymns

See also

References

External links